Rating: 
Summary: A fine book, a marvelous performance
Review: It has been years since tears came to my eyes at the end of a book but come they did when I finished listening to Lynn Redgrave read Winter Solstice. They were not tears of sadness but tears of joy. I've listened to 6 of Ms. Pilcher's books so far as I drive my long commute each day but this is the best so far. Few can tell a wonderful story about ordinary people as well as can Ms. Pilcher and I'm both an avid reader and an avid listener to books on tape (or CD). Her characters live and become well developed friends; her scenes enter the 'mind's eye' with clarity. One gets a hint of the way things are going but, until the end arrives, one is never completely sure. Lynn Redgrave's abilities as a reader are marvelous and she has a unique talent for taking a wonderful story and enhancing it beautifully. I know at least 10 people to whom I will give a 'copy' of Winter Solstice as a holiday gift. Give yourself a fine gift also and I'm sure you will be richly rewarded!
Rating:
Summary: Praise for Rosamunde Pilcher
Review: Of all of the Rosamunde Pilcher books that I own, and I own all of them, Winter Solstice is my favorite. It was the first of her books that I read and I've not been able to read any other author since.Ms. Pilcher's ability to bring out the feeling of being in the story is so strong and comforting. I find her lack of sex, violence, and vulgar langauge very uplifting and hopeful. In a world where each of us hears about such things every day, it is nice to end my day with the peace that she brings to me. I will not depart with any of my Pilcher books. I highly recommend them to friends, but prefer to purchase new copies for them to read. Ms. Pilcher has strengthened my desire to visit the countryside of Scotland and her people.
Rating:
Summary: An absolute pleasure to read!
Review: I purchased this book a couple of years ago because I am a huge Rosamunde Pilcher fan. When the book arrived I put it on the shelf, and for some reason or another did not actually read it until last week! I savored every word! It is beautifully written with characters and descriptions that make the reader feel so good. I have had the opportunity to visit Ms. Pilcher's Cornwall, and reading this book brought back some wonderful memories. I could actually smell the salt air! So put the kettle on, curl up in your favorite spot and start to read. It will be time well spent.
Rating:
Summary: May your heart swell with joy and fullness
Review: If you are longing to feel better about life, about the goodness of people, about the blessings of friendship, and if you are longing to be renewed and refreshed from the inside out, to see examples of hope fulfilled, then please, take a weekend, like I did, and savor every page of this lovely book. As the weekend drew to a close, and I turned the last page today, I felt a sense of loss that I would be leaving these dear characters on the pages. I found myself wishing for just a little more... oh, please, just a few more pages... let me have just a few more moments with them. Can't I just know what happened the next day? Perhaps a sequel? It was that kind of book, and I am profoundly moved. I am a very busy person, with no time to waste on anything less than the highest quality book, written with enduring values. I want to finish a book with more joy than I had at the start. And I did. Enjoy it....
Rating:
Summary: Is Pilcher Anything But Great? I Don't Think So!
Review: To curl up on a rainy day and read Winter Solstice is a wonderful treat in and of itself! It intertwines love, romance, family events, and tragedy all in a unique way. Elfrida is a wonderful character in the book, and as she goes through her older years, meets a kindly gentleman, and they go on their way. I don't wish to tell too much about how she meets him at the first, but as you read, you'll discover along the way. Pilcher develops each and every character richly,and personally, without leaving them out sometimes like some writers seem to do. The story is woven with each and every character very well until the very end, reaching a wonderful climax. Read and find out what I mean!:)
Rating: 
Summary: Heartwarming and endearing
Review: I have long been a fan of the great Irish author Maeve Binchy. So much a fan that about a year ago I joined a Maeve Binchy book club. Many of the other members recommended that I read Rosamunde Pilcher because she manages to capture the magic that Maeve Binchy does. Both women are amazing at writing characters, interweaving stories, and bring small towns to life. Winter Solstice, by Rosamunde Pilcher, does just that. Five people, all hurt by someone they loved, come together in the small town of Creagan, Scotland right around the time of the Winter Solstice. Some of the guests are planned, some of them are not. But in the end, all of the guests are welcome and life just wouldn't seem the same without them. As they laugh and cry together they all learn to heal and love: Oscar - who just lost his wife and daughter in a car accident, Elfrida- her great love died of Parkinson's disease, Carrie- the love of her life decided to stay with his wife leaving her out in the cold, Lucy- who feels dreadfully alone and unloved by her mother and grandmother, and Sam- who recently learned his wife wants a divorce. It is only as a collective whole that these five brilliantly written characters can overcome tragedy and begin life anew. Pilcher is a crafty writer, down to the smallest detail. And this is not nit-picky, it is what makes her novel so delightful. You fall in love with everything form Horace the dog, to Rory the neighbor, with Estate House, even with Carrie's loden colored coat. Pilcher doesn't bog you down with characters that, later on in the novel, you have to try to remember "who was that?" Every person is important and adds to the novel. Even better, no one and nothing seems too outlandish. Almost every novel ends with a "happily ever after," however, Winter Solstice doesn't spell it out for you. It is even better than a fairy tale, because only the foundations of what could be happily ever after are laid and the reader can just imagine what the future will hold. After reading Winter Solstice I understand why Rosamunde Pilcher was so highly recommended. And this recommendation I pass on to others.
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Summary: A Novel I could not put down...
Review: This is the first novel I have read by this wonderful, thoughtful Author. I picked up this book and from the moment I started to read, I was hooked. The descriptions and "real" feel of this book kept me reading! A lot of her desriptions of people, places and objects are quite vivid and certainly accurate. Be sure to read the page previews to see what this book is all about, but be sure to pick it up and read it! I loved it and would recommend it to anyone who needs a break from the everyday hum drum world...
Rating: 
Summary: A Fairy Tale
Review: I thought, "what a fairy tale!". I enjoyed it, but WOW, how many of us can really relate to what happens in this book. I do have to say though, that it almost makes me want to move to Ireland/Scotland, because she describes the enrvironment so well. Hey, who doesn't want to have all those experiences!?
Rating:
Summary: Winter Comfort
Review: What I especially took away from this warm, rich, and satisfying tale was the comforting and lovely notion that people beyond middle age can still enjoy rewarding, meaningful, and yes--sexual relationships that are every bit as intense as those in the younger years. And that the joys of knowing one's self enough to indulge in such a relationship are one of the perks of getting older. Oh, what a dear and lovely book, and what a good, old-fashioned story! What I love so about Ms. Pilcher is that she makes no apologies for her style. It is simple, direct, in-your-face story-telling, with absolutely no ulterior motives whatsoever. The book is so rich is its characterisations and in its small things--a description of a dog, a bedroom, a small moment in a garden--that it is difficult to describe a "plot" per se, although of course there is one. Briefly, then, aging, eclectic former actress Elfrida (a delight in herself) moves (albeit reluctantly) to a village that she deems appropriate for those of advancing age, like herself. There, she sets up a lifestyle in a small cottage, and the highlight of this lifestyle is that, for once, she is able to do whatever she darn pleases, like it or not. In time, she befriends former schoolteacher and musician Oscar Blundt and his domineering wife, neighbors who become comfortable companions for the very self-reliant Elfrida. Meanwhile, Carrie, Elfrida's second cousin, has returned to London from Austria, where, as a very successful travel agent, she has had her heart broken by a failed romance. Carrie, to her consternation (as she is not ready to take on any more responsibility and only wants to be "mothered"), finds her 14-year-old niece Lucy in dire straits, ignored by her horrible mother, and overly spoiled by her equally horrible grandmother. Carrie must, very reluctantly, do something to help Lucy--her conscience will not let her ignore that young girl's distress. What better thing, then, to go off and visit Counsin Elfrida? To "thicken the stew" of these very dissimilar characters, along comes young, stalwart and attractive Sam, a successful businessman who is recalled from New York by his demanding company chairman to try to revitalize an ailing Scottish textile mill. All of these separate and equally lonely (although all would deny it) souls come together during a cold and bleak winter...and each is warmed as his or her life becomes woven in a tapestry involving the others. Sigh. This just may be the perfect book, one to read and savor, ideally on a snowy day, wrapped in an afghan with a dog at one's feet, a cat on one's lap, and a cup of something warm and wonderful to drink. But it works just as well sitting in an orthodontist's office waiting to take your preteen home and feed him/her pizza so you can have more time to read this fabulour book!
Rating:
Summary: Commuting has never been better!
Review: I first fell in love with Rosamunde Pilcher when I first read The Shell Seekers. I have loved every one of her books and I have quite a few. There is no better way to spend a long commute than to have your favorite author in audio cd or cassette. Lynn Redgrave reads and expresses Ms. Pilcher's books remarkably. She is clear and easy to understand as well as giving the character every bit of personality. Wonderful!
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